


A race against time.

by Cupcake88



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Kidnapping, Mentions of non-con, Mystery, Trafficking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-06
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:54:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,787
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21694966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cupcake88/pseuds/Cupcake88
Summary: When a girl goes missing, will Hank and Conner be able to track her down before it's too late?
Relationships: Connor (Detroit: Become Human)/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	1. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When a girl goes missing, will Hank and Conner be able to track her down before it's too late?

Flashing lights filled the loud nightclub as the DJ turned the music up. A girl weaves her way through the crowd, trying to find the group she came in with. She decides that it's getting too late for her to stay out, having a full schedule the next day. It was a shame to leave the bachelorette party early but it was already past midnight. They were understanding enough, letting her go with a suffocating hug.

She shivered as she left, the cold January air shocking her after being in the mix of all the warm bodies dancing. In hindsight, she should have brought a thicker coat to balance out the too-thin-for-winter dress she wore. Oh well, she’d be inside again soon.

Deciding not to get a cab, she started the walk to her house only 10 minutes away. She hummed the pop song that had been playing in the club. The lyrics were illegible but it had a good beat. Hearing footsteps behind her, she pulled her hand bag closer to her body. She’d read the news reports about how crafty thieves are getting. If you don’t hold the body of your bag, the can cut the strap and grab it. Realising that the person was following her, she sped up.

The footsteps quickly matched her pace, becoming heavier.

Her adrenaline spiked and her heart rate increased. She pulled her coat closer as if it would somehow help her and took a sharp left, going off course from her house. They followed. Her breathing became faster as she started to speed walk. “Shit!” she mumbled, realising he started to catch up on her, “No, no, no!” 

A hand grabbed her wrist and she screamed trying to pull it out. There was no home, their grip was like a vice, unrelenting as they moved to wrap an arm around her body. “Help! Please somebody, help me! Police! Anyone?” She struggled against the kidnapper’s grip, kicking them in the shin.

A woman in a house near-by herd the noise and called the police who would arrive in 30 seconds.

28, The girl struggled as they pressed a handkerchief over her mouth.”

23, She was forced to take a breath that was crucial to avoid.

16, The police sirens could be heard and the kidnapper swore.

10, The woman’s bag dropped to the floor as she lost consciousness.

3, The kidnapper ran, ironically holding her like he was a fireman saving her.

0, Silence fell.

The police man that arrived swore.

“She’s gone.”


	2. No hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Conner and Hank join the case but it is looking bleak. With not much info to go on, how will they approach this?

**Connor P.O.V**  
“Hank! Connor! My office, now.” Me and Hank jumped at the sound of Fowler’s voice. 

Walking over to the glass office, I had to practically drag Hank who was unwilling to leave his desk and coffee.

“Last night a girl was kidnapped. We don’t have much information but the area has been closed off and all belongings collected. The lady who called it in says she heard a scream and saw two people struggle in the dark last night. When our officers got there, it was too late. All that remained was her bag.”

Hank mumbled a few curses, “Is it- “

“Yes, we have reason to believe it is the same human trafficking ring that Reed has been tracking with Miller,” Fowler cut in. “You two are going to join that investigation team as you have finished your recent cases. We need as many people as we can spare on this case before we lose any more victims.”

We moved out of his office to Gavin and Chris, needing to catch up on what had happened in the case so far. They use chloroform which is a relatively old but very effective way of knocking someone out. They know what they are doing and how to do it, that’s not desirable. No evidence is left at the scenes, just what ever belongings the victim had before they were taken. The main problem is that they always take anything we could do to identify them. Credit cards are snapped and banked out, ID is gone and any work lanyards are destroyed. Whoever this poor woman is, we have no way of knowing.

The sparse items we do have aren’t much to go on. A red clutch bag with a silver strap and clasp. Inside it there is:  
-A red liquid lipstick and lip liner. (The Body Shop, Tahiti Hibiscus)  
-An eyeliner with the brand name faded off.  
-A Rimmel volume lash mascara.  
-A Sephora gold eyeshadow palette.  
-A hand cream. (coconut and vanilla)  
-A small flash light torch.  
-A crushed and beyond repairable phone with a pantone case. (Cerulean Blue)  
-A purple purse with two card holders empty, the others had a gift aid card, a loyalty card to a coffee shop none of us had heard of and gift card for Bellini’s. There is $16.74 change in her purse but the fingerprints don’t match any on our data base.

There is no lead for who took her or why they took her. All we can do is suspect that it is the trafficking ring. I adjusted my tie, a tick that Hank says I do in frustration or nerves. Apparently, it’s a similar stim to my coin tricks. They are, at least, useful as they help me think despite taking time. Ever since deviating, Hank says I get stressed and anxious. That I don’t get enough fun or socialisation outside of work. Jericho is my main source of socialisation and then then, it is mainly civil rights issues or help with looking onto cases of android violence. I should try to meet some new people. 

“Connor, are you okay? You’ve zoned out son.”

Hank’s voice pulled me out of my daze, “I’m fine Hank, sorry.”

Gavin spoke up,” We think it is either a ring of or a ring that contains androids who used to be at Eden Club. Ones that want payback for the inhumane way they were treated. We think they want to subject humans to what they got subjected to. It’s the only motive that fits our minimal evidence.” Mulling this over, it didn’t seem right for it to be a full group of androids but judging by the pristine lack of evidence or finger prints found, there is probably some form of android involvement. Because of said lack of evidence, it’s hard to say how much if any.

“Who are the other victims?” Hanks question is a good and important one. We need to find similarities. 

This time Chris spoke,” There are three others, I will send you the case files but to give a brief oversight, three other women aged 19-35. It’s around the ages that Cyberlife creates their androids to look supporting their being android involvement.

He pressed some buttons on his computer and typed a few things. A notification for the case files appeared in my peripheral. I opened them to read.

Stephanie Lee, Age 20 - Went missing between 01:45 and 03:00 on July 17th 2039. Olive skin, brown eyes and dyed blue hair. Was last seen in a supermarket at 01:46 on CCTV wearing denim shorts and a stripped crop top. All identification was destroyed or taken. Reported missing 39 hours after disappearance by colleague. Items left (purse, destroyed phone, shoe and handmade key ring on keys) were confirmed by the mother.

Daisy Clark, Age 31 - Went missing between 11:46 and 00:30 on October 31st 2039. Tanned (fake tan) skin with black hair and grey/blue eyes. Was last seen at a friend’s house party in a yellow dress and green leggings ‘like a daisy’. All identification was destroyed or taken. Her necklace broke off and was identified by her boyfriend 27 hours after disappearance.

Lillian Cruz, Age 26 - Went missing between 04:23 and 05:00 on November 24th 2039. Darker skin with black eyes and black hair with blond tips. Was last seen by her landlord the night before but was on the phone with her aunt ending at 04:22. Reported missing at 05:15 by the land lord who went to collect rent before she left for work. It can’t be confirmed or denied to whether she was taken by the same group. 

Mulling the information over, I couldn’t make sense of the last one, “All the other victims were taken in a way that would cause us to have to wait for a missing person’s report. Why change that with Lillian and then go back for the new case?” 

Before I could get an answer, a woman’s voice rang out, cracked with pain and worry. “I think I need to report a missing person.”

* * *

**Y/N) P.O.V**  
My eyes groggily opened and I winced at the bright light they were subdued to. Where am I? I was walking home and then…. Oh shit. I can only remember patches. What the fuck happened?

I moved to stand up before being yanked backwards. I’m tied down. My breathing quickened. My head started to spin.

All I can see above me is the white ceiling and a bright light. Nothing that hints to where I am. It was then that my brain registered the gag in my mouth, tied behind my head. Flashes of a handkerchief against my mouth came back and I barely registered the person above me. They were wearing a surgical mask but their piercing green eyes stared into me. 

I registered a sharp but small pain in my wrist and thrashed, trying to scream through the gag. It was no use as they pushed a liquid into my blood and my consciousness slipped. 

The sharp green eyes were my last thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We have Connor and Hank joining the party! Will they be able to identify the girl from this report? We'll have to find out. thanks for reading, Cupcake :)


	3. Any Clues?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hark and Connor look over the new lead they may have and we see more of their domestic life. Our lovely reader gets a little bit of insight that Hank and Connor desperately need to prove their theory.

**Connor P.O.V**  
“I think I need to report a missing person.”

All of our heads snapped up to her. A roughly middle aged woman, around 51, with greying hair that used to be (y/h/c) and pale blue eyes. She was wearing a purple boat neck top with a mustard scarf and a black coat with jeans and purple converse. My thirium pump quickened. This could be our lead on the mystery girl who went missing. “Sorry, have I come to the wrong desk? I was told to go to the one with the old man, the android and the two younger men.”

Hank groaned at the mention of his age, another reminder of his looming 55th birthday, “I’m not that old!” 

The woman softly apologised with a small giggle before the worry returned to her face, “I believe my daughter has gone missing.”

We ushered her along to an interrogation room for privacy, not cuffing her or shutting the door. It’s not an interrogation so there is no need. 

“So when do you think she went missing?” Hanks gruff yet gentile voice was the best way to start. It notified that business is important but that she had no reason to worry. The perfect start for how we should proceed. Informal yet enforcing. 

“Last night, she went to a party and hasn’t come home or gone to work yet. She’s not the type of girl to just disappear. Never slept over at someone’s without telling me first.”

“How old is your daughter?” The question needed to be asked so I said it.

“17. She’ll be 18 in 3 months,” If she was taken by our group then this case has taken a sudden and dark turn. 

“Do you know where she went?”

“A friend’s house but I’m not sure what street it’s on. She’s been there before without incident so I’m not worried about that. I think something happened on her walk home. She messaged me at, I think, 00:27 saying she just left so she should have been home at one but I stayed home all night and didn’t hear her come home. I’ve called all her friends and they either didn’t pick up or haven’t seen her since she left.”

“Would she have walked near Byron Street?”

“I don’t think so but maybe she went with another friend and dropped them off first. Why?”

“We found some belongings on that street after someone called in a kidnapping,” back to Hank’s soft and caring voice, “We need you to tell us if it’s your daughters bag.”

The lady let out a sob, covering her hands with her face, “right okay.” We showed her the red bag and she frowned, “No that’s not hers, she had a black shoulder bag.” She trembled, “so… there are no leads on where she is?” 

“Currently, no. but we will work to find any clues once we get some details and friends names,” I spoke again. 

Her phone rang, just as we were about to ask the next question. When she saw the number, she nearly dropped the phone. “It’s her.”

She picked it up and put it on speaker, “Hello?”

“Mum! I’m so sorry but I dropped my friend off at her house on Edison Street, the one perpendicular to Byron Street and then there was police sirens so she told me to stay at hers. I was going to call but I fell asleep, I’m so sorry!”

She let out a sigh and stood up, “It’s fine.” She walked out and none of us stopped her, “I hope you find the girl who has gone lost.” She left.

“Damn, if that isn’t our girl then who is?”

“I don’t know kid but we need to find her. Fast.”

* * *

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
??:??  
The face above me was blurry. Not this again! As she focused, I realised it’s not a weird doctor but a woman. What the fuck, she’s right up in my face. When she noticed me waking, she grabbed my cheeks to help me focus. 

“Stay still, I helps with the dizziness, you’ll vomit in the next hour or two as well,” I tried to sit up finding that my arms are weaker than I remember, “Yeah, you won’t be able to move much for a while.” 

She helped me to sit up, supporting my shoulders and pulling up the flimsy pillow to soften the concrete wall. I thanked her, moving my attention to the rest of the room. It’s a barren room with four blank, white walls and no windows. The door is a thick glass door with a black frame. I’m in the bottom bunk of a set of bunk beds. They look worn and battered almost like they are handmade. There are a set of drawers next to my bed and another stacked on top, precariously superglued down. It’s all very dangerous and brings back my panic. 

“Where the fuck am I? Who are you?”

“My name’s Lillian… You’ve been kidnapped by a human trafficking ring,” She saw me start to tear up, “Oh no please don’t cry. I mean… I get that this is a shock and a real nasty one at that but trust me you don’t want to cry. They really have no sympathy for it and I’m pretty sure Stephanie was punished for it. They don’t believe we have the right to cry since they didn’t.”

“What do you mean they didn’t? And who the fuck are ‘they’?”

“Eden club androids, you know the ones right. Making humans go through what happened to them.”

A knock on the door brought my attention. A gorgeous woman with olive skin and shockingly blue hair caught my attention. Lillian gestured her in and introduced her as Stephanie. 

“This the new girl?”

Lillian nodded, “Arrived in the middle of the night. She hasn’t thrown up yet though.”

As if on cue my stomach flipped and bile rose up my throat. Lillian grabbed a bucket which was soon full of last night’s fish & chips and booze. I sat back, my head starting to clear a bit as the drug left my system, “What sort of drug did they give me? I feel like crap!” 

“I don’t know specifics but I work, or worked I guess, at a pharmacy,” I moved my gaze to Stephanie, “It’s some form of sedative that triggers your body’s immune system and makes it reject your bodily fluids in a survival instinct. That’s why you threw up and are probably quite sweaty. Again, I don’t know why it does that or what drug it is but that is my analysis.”

“So what the hell are we even doing here anyway?”

“They… It’s a prostitution ring.”

My heart dropped. No… anything but this.

* * *

**Connor P.O.V**  
18:10  
I spent all afternoon reading and re-reading case files. Trying to interface with the broken phone to find anything helpful. Going over CCTV but the area she must’ve entered from is a blind spot and we ran out of time to look at the surrounding CCTV. Fowler gave me access to look at home though, knowing that I don’t need as much sleep as my human partners. I do however need to go into ‘rest mode’ for 4 hours a day. That means I have 20 hours a day for work and socialising with Jericho.

Although, after what happened with Marcus, even Jericho doesn’t like me that much. Markus does but the others haven’t accepted me as well in the past year. It doesn’t matter what I do, to them I will always be the deviant hunter. It hurts.

Hank has been helping me to recognise my new emotions. Over the last year and a bit there has been sadness, pain, happiness, excitement (when Hank got me a ‘Birthday’ present) and anger. It’s a roller-coaster, I don’t understand how humans can cope with all of the different emotions. Hank claims that this is like when teenagers go through puberty.

“Connor, are you okay?”

I turned to Hank, snapping out of my daze, “Yeah I’m fine. I was just thinking about stuff.”

Hank gave me a weird yet understanding look like he knows what I mean. Maybe he does understand, after all he has had dark and consuming thoughts before. Maybe that’s what I’m on the brink of. Dark thoughts. At least androids are unable to drink alcohol. 

“Connor, we’re home.” 

Hank’s voice, once again, pulled me out of my thoughts and back into reality. Getting out of his flimsy car and moving to the house, I decided now would be the best time to sleep. While Hank is still awake and can deter the nightmares. They’ve been occurring more recently and they’re only getting worse. Sometimes they are vivid like a memory but others are faint and start to fade as I wake. Often they are my brain exploring alternate ‘choices’ from before my deviation.

They don’t often end well.

I stumbled to my room, energy is low so I need to enter rest mode quickly. Sitting onto the sofa I have instead of a bed, I entered rest mode. 

_My pump beats faster than normal. Everything hurts me, even my own voice. It rings in my head, banging on my skull like a hammer. Nothing stops the pain and I can’t move. I’m… paralysed? I can feel it now. The burning fury of heat tickling my skin._

_Another ‘bad’ ending I suppose._

_It’s like a continuation from last nights when I was talking to Markus in this same building, undeviated. He had pressed a button after I shot him. I… I shot him._

_The heat is unbearable and the radiation from the dirty bomb is spreading. The flames are still stroking my body and starting to melt my skin off. How did I survive the original explosion? Why does it burn when I’m not supposed to be able to feel it? Oh, I’ve deviated. How? What last survival instinct caused that?_

_It doesn’t matter, I’m dying anyway. There’s nothing I can do. Just have to lay here… and die._

_Error messages start popping up in my vision filling me with an all-consuming, impending doom. Some of my mechanics started to shut down._

_It’s ironic. The second I become alive, I start to die. What a bitter sweet ending to a life of murder and restrictions. An artificial tear slides out of my ducts and washes off some of the thirium on my face. My pump is starting to malfunction now just when my eye sight starts to cut out. I can feel its irregular rhythm pulsing through me like a broken countdown. Hank will be worse. I should have deviated before, on the ship when Markus spoke to me. It would have been easier if I had._

_‘Shut down imminent’ I only have a few seconds left, if that._

_I’m dying._

_I’m… I’m dead._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this little Christmas present is a bit late but Merry Christmas. I wanted to post it on the 25th but had another idea I wanted to incorporate into this chapter so it's up on New Year's Day. Happy New Year! 
> 
> Also I have been considering changing the parts with the readers perspective to second person (you/you're) so if that is wanted it will be done.
> 
> Cupcake x


	4. Surviving Nightmares.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor finds his first lead while the reader suffers through her first day in her new life but it's not going to be easy for either of them.

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
02:??  
There is a digital clock on the wall above the door. I’ve been staring at it for the last 4 hours, slowly watching the minutes of my new hell ebb by and the most minute pace. My eyes are burning from frustration. Fuck!

Why me? I never mistreated an android or visited Eden Club, heaven forbid. It was a disgraceful place run by disgraceful people. The revolution wasn’t violent in anyway either, of course there was some extremists on both sides as there always is. Martin Luther King Jr and Malcom X, the suffrages and the suffragettes as well as so many other groups before them. That must mean android discrimination isn’t a factor in who they choose. 

I rolled onto my side. A tear slipped down my eye, rolling over my nose and falling onto the pillow, soon others followed creating a small damp spot on the yellowing pillow. My body started to shake, quaking with small trembles of pain. I gotta find a way to leave this place. I’ll have to look around and find an escape. 

When I finally did drift off to sleep, all my dreams were full of family and friends casting me away. Labelling me as damaged and leaving me to wallow in the dirt. Each time I woke up and slipped to sleep again there was another face of distain. My parents, my friends and then grandparents, co-workers and ex-partners. And now it’s all my fault.

Maybe I did do something to hurt someone. But who?

* * *

**Connor P.O.V**  
04:52  
I woke up in a chill, my pump thumping faster than normal. Hank burst through the room in a panic. 

“Another nightmare son?”

“I was dying in a bomb explosion and during the pain of death I deviated.” 

He moved closer to me, resting a hand on my shoulder and pulling me into a hug, “It’s not real, okay. It’s your system trying to scare you and sort out your new emotions. Breathe, calm down and then do something to distract yourself. Do you want me to stay?”

I nodded, too scared to be by myself right now. He shuffled to get more comfortable, still keeping a hand on my shoulder. “When Cole had nightmares I would make him warm milk and he would ask me to read him a story… can you heat up thirium?”

Giving a weak laugh, I pulled out an old and kind of tattered copy of Ready Player One from my sofa-side table and handed it to him. He gave a sarcastic snort but flipped to the page I’m on and started to read. Sighing, I shut my eyes and listened to the narrative of Wade Owen Watts. 

He read for five chapters before stopping, “This would be enough to get Cole to sleep, what do you think Connor?” 

Thinking for a moment, I remembered how real it felt and shuddered, “I’m going to do some work. Go over that CCTV recording to see if we can find someone with the same bag that we found.” He gave a worried look but nodded anyway, “just don’t overwork yourself son. I’m gonna take a shower and then go to bed.”

I gave him a smile, loading up the footage around the time the call came in. My eyes were put into the position of the camera, completely submerging me into the scene. Focusing on cars and people, I took a running note of what cars appeared when, with what licence plate and a brief description of the driver and any passengers. The first tape was empty, nothing happened, just cars and people passing by. No one matched the red bag. I moved on to the next street, from Longfellow to Edison.

Some of the same people from the other tape walked by coming in or out of frame. Around 00:40 the girl whose mother came in walked into shot, shortly followed by a police car. She spoke to the friend with her and went into a house, just like she’d said. She is safe, we don’t need to worry about her. There isn’t much more activity on this street but, closer to Byron’s street, there is the sound of rapid footsteps and the start of a struggle. I’m getting closer.

I flicked to the camera on Byron’s street that is right opposite Atkinson’s. At 00:36, rushed into shot with someone on her trail. She had the red bag we found on the floor pulled into her body but when her pursuer grabbed her wrist it fell, spilling its contents onto the floor. From there the kidnapping was carried out as we had expected it to have been. They subdued her, broke her phone and carried her away seconds before the police got there. Slipping through a hole in the wall, they disappeared off any other footage I could find, removing themselves from the polices line of vision. 

Darn, I’ll have to look through her route, none of this footage has a clear view of her face. I followed her track backwards for about an hour, it was difficult at some points because there were gaps between the cameras. After 17 cameras I finally tracked her back to a club called Nebula. The only problem was that I still couldn’t get a clear, easily scanned shot of her face. I groaned in frustration, punching the pillow next to me. Why is this so hard? 

They know where the cameras are and how to avoid the most visuals. They know where the women are going to go, even beyond their normal route. They know just how to keep us one step behind.

Nebula. I looked up the space-themed club. Programming a reminder to go there first thing tomorrow morning, I checked the reservations page. Ah they were booked on January 7th, the night we need. That means there will be a clear person to talk to. Finally, something is going our way.

* * *

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
10:00  
An obnoxious noise pierced through the silence, waking me up from what little sleep I managed to have. I rolled over and got out of the creaky bed. Lillian was close behind, jumping down from the top bed. The glass door made a hissing noise before sliding open and Lillian left, gesturing for me to follow.The moment I left the door I was dragged away from her and taken to a separate room. 

I was pushed into a scalding hot shower and told to wash myself. They told me that my human sins made me dirty. That only the hottest shower would cleanse me of my discrimination. Once they were satisfied at my ‘cleanliness’ I was given a thin, ragged towel to wrap around myself and ordered to leave the shower.

Unforgiving hands pushed me into a chair and pulled at the bun I had my hair in. They then washed it and combed a perming product through, not caring about how aggressive the motion was. The pull on my scalp burnt but I clamped my mouth shut, I just need to put up with it until they leave. At an especially sharp tug my arm jerked up into a bruising grip. Shoving it back down, they just continued until the product was combed through my entire hair. 

It was then that they pulled out an injection needle. My heart dropped to my stomach, fear taking over. What the fuck is that for? My breathing became heavier as they filled it up with a clear liquid and yanked my bruised arm until I stood up. 

“This stops your period. No bleeding and no pregnancies,” they pushed out the air in the syringe, “you’ll get it once a month.”

Their grip on my arm hadn’t relented, now becoming painful. My instinct kicked in and I tried to pull my arm away. Bad idea. They held me tighter bringing the syringe close to it. Gritting my teeth, I clamped my eyes shut. If I don’t have any choice, I can at least not see what’s happening. The android let out a derisive snort and pressed the cold tip of the needle against my skin. A stinging prick jabbed my arm. As they pushed the liquid in my fingers and toes clenched. It was cold in my arm. 

The needle was removed and a plaster was put on my arm. Another android came then, escorting me to the room all the other girls were in. 

Silence filled the room despite even as they ate. Guiding me over to an empty seat with a bowl of stew and a glass of water in front of it, the new android told me to eat before leaving. Hesitating, I looked around. Nobody seemed to be ill from the food and my stomach was starting to grumble from the smell. None of the ingredients were identifiable but in a way I was glad, I’d rather not know what they are feeding me. The taste of nothingness filled my mouth. 

I almost laughed, of course it wouldn’t taste of anything. This whole place has been coloured in grayscale. Not only did they kidnap me and have taken away my free will but they are also depriving my senses. Blinking away my tears I pushed through those thoughts to eat the food. 

Eventually we had all finished. The androids escorted each group of girls back to their rooms. Now that I wasn’t feeling the after effects of those drugs I could take the room in better. There was a tap in one of the corners with a few metal mugs. Six sets of bunkbeds, three against each side wall. Each bed had a set of draws. 

Now that I think about it, what is in those drawers? Opening the top draw in my set I was unsurprised to find it empty. The second however had underwear like that of Eden Club but instead saying ‘Repentance Club’. Repentance for what? For the way humans treated androids like slaves? There was also a set of black lace lingerie that seemed like it would be for a special occasion. The sort you’d wear on an anniversary or something. I felt sick, almost regretting having eaten earlier. The feel of the lace in my hand reminded me that this wasn’t just a dream. The sensation of it forcing me to accept this. My hand started to shake, tears welling in my eyes yet again. 

Lillian’s warning to stay tough came back to me and I tried to pull myself together, fighting the trembles that were slowly moving up my arm. Grabbing my wrist with my spare hand, I let my eyes flick to the bruise now forming on my arm. By now it was a purple colour, still a bit red around the edges. They had given me the injection right over it making the skin a bit puffy. Running my fingers over it made me wince. 

If this hurt now, how much worse would it get later?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way too long, what the heck! Sorry about that. Hope everyone is staying well, Cupcake xx


	5. Holy shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Connor and the team finally get a potential lead! The reader is... less lucky in her endeavours.

**Connor P.O.V**  
14:20  
“Hank, I said we need to go to that club”

He rubbed his brows, “Connor, for the umpteenth time they won’t be open for a few hours yet. It’s a nightclub not a flippin’ café”

“Can I at least call to book an appointment with the manager?”

Shrugging he told me to call and see if there was someone there. Fidgeting with the end of my tie, I thought back to the security footage. She had left just past midnight with the club still full, partying on. If it was reserved that night, the 7th of January when she went missing, what made her leave early? I called them twice but no-one picked up. Hank gave a smug grin at that, “We can go in once they are open. Although Chris or Gavin may be better for it than me.” 

“Going to a club on the shift? I’m in.” Gavin, of course. 

“You do know that you won’t be able to party or drink, you’ll have to stay on duty.” I gave Chris a thankful look for stepping in for me. Gavin has been trying his best to become amicable with me but it is clear he still struggles. He is, at least, not calling me tin can maliciously anymore. Only occasionally with a jokey tone. Hopefully this joint case will help a bit more. I think it’s my move to make now, “I’d be happy to go with you if you want, Gavin. You seem to be the best suited to this.”

Gavin ^  
Colleague

Pride flickered through me at the new advancement in our friendship. He gave a noncommittal shrug but looked happy.

“I’ll call to book an appointment with the manager for 9 then.”

“See you there then. Ah! Please wear something more casual that a suit though, you’ll stick out like a sore thumb otherwise.”

Nodding I searched what that idiom meant.  
Stick out like a sore thumb = to be very conspicuous. 

I guess a suit would look weird in a nightclub. Maybe it would be best to ask Hank for help with an outfit that looks more casual. For now, a chunk of paperwork is waiting for me to go through. Some to do with the missing girl, some from the woman who thought her daughter was missing and some from a previous case that needs to be finalised. If I had the ability to sigh, I would.

This afternoon couldn’t go any slower if it wanted to.

* * *

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
20:45  
“Oi new girl, get your uniform on.” I turned to the android that called to me and stood up from my bed. “You got your fist client, come to makeup.”

My stomach dropped as I changed into the uniform and followed her to the makeup room. The whole time she was doing my face all I could think was:

Holy shit I can’t get out of this.

* * *

**Connor P.O.V**  
21:04  
Gavin is four minutes late. 

Luckily, I had the foresight to tell the manager we would meet him at quarter past but even still. Gavin is late. I turned to the glass window, checking my appearance. I had dragged Hank to a clothes shop between the end of his shift and now, he hated it but helped me find an outfit that he deemed ‘casual enough’. And that’s how I am now wearing this outfit. He had thrown a big pile of clothes at me, finally satisfied with a white t-shirt, black jeans and a bomber jacket with multiple different patterns in shades of blue. Deciding my normal shoes would be fine, I payed and left. 

“Nice jacket tin can.”

Moving to face Gavin I thanked him and we entered the club. Loud music filled my ears, vibrating through my entire body. It was starting to fill up, androids and humans dancing together, chatting on barstools. A smile crept on to my face at the sight, knowing that it wasn’t just laws changing is a nice feeling. The club lived up to its name, everything was space themed with shiny metal furniture, a planet themed drinks menu and a feature wall painted to look like the milky way behind the bar. Despite the sci-fi elements it still managed to be classy.

We started to go up the stairs, heading towards the office. The manager was a nice guy, rather young for an owner. Mr Cline, age 32. No criminal record.

“Hello Mr Cline, I’m Detective Reed and this is my colleague Detective Connor. We have a question about the 7th?” He checked that date with me and I nodded. “The 7th of January according to your website you were reserved?”

The pulled up a file on his computer, “Yes we were. We don’t shut the whole club for reservations though just lower the numbers allowed. The reservations are for out private room. It was a bachelorette party on the 7th. If I remember correctly most of them didn’t leave till past half one in the morning.”

I frowned, “Did you notice anyone leave around 00:25?” 

Sighing, he responded negatively, “I’m sorry, we tend not to mark the time each person leaves. Only the time the person who reserved it left. We ask them to stay last while we check for any damages.”

Gavin bit his lip, “Can we ask you for the contact information of the woman who reserved the room that night?”

An anxious look flickered over Mr Cline’s face, “Why do you need it?”

I glanced to Gavin, neither of us being authorized to divulge any information.

“I’m afraid neither of us can give that information to you. If it is against policy can we ask that you call them to check that we can have their information. Or just to tell them to come to the station,” I asked.

Grumbling, he picked up his phone. A female voice answered the call but it was too faint for my audio receptors to pick up on it. Mr Cline gave her a summary, had a quick chat and then said goodbye. “Her name is Catherine Browne,” he wrote something on a slip of paper and gave it to me, “This is her phone number. That’s all I can give to you.”

Taking it I thanked him profusely and apologized for the inconvenience. With the note tucked securely in my pocket and the phone number memorised in my system we left.

Once we were in the car Gavin came in he gave me an expecting look, “Well? Aren’t you gonna call?” 

Nodding I pulled up the number and rang. Her voice echoed in my audio receptors. 

“Hello, this is Catherine.”

“Hello, I’m Detective Connor we just have a few questions about the night of the 7th. Is there any way you could come into the station tomorrow or do you need one of us to come to you?”

She hesitated, “Erm… I think I can come in tomorrow morning. What time do you guys start?”

“My shift starts at 9am tomorrow but I can go in earlier if you need.”

Agreeing to meet me at 9:15, she said goodbye and hung up. I filled Gavin in, unable to stop the smile pulling on the corners of my mouth.

“Holy phck Connor, we have something we can follow.”

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
10:57  
I turned the shower up hotter. By now it was nearly burning my skin but I didn’t care. I needed to get the feeling of him off of me. The ghost of his clammy hands won’t leave and I can still feel his breath washing over my face. The makeup that took forever to do is running down my face and neck. Raising my trembling hands, I pulled them up to my face. I pushed my nails into my cheeks and collapsed onto the floor. Two hands roughly dragged me out of the water, reprimanding me and shaking me. When they were fed up of my unresponsiveness, they dressed me and dragged me back to my bed, tossing me onto it.

The tears burnt my face more than the shower had, tearing apart who I am. My whole body was shaking by now. A soft hand stroked my back and pulled me into a hug. The smell was vaguely familiar until I realised it was the soap they make us use. I looked up, Lillian. She started playing with my hair to distract both me and her.

“It’s okay (Y/N). He is gone now. He can’t hurt you anymore cause I’m here to keep you safe.”

Burying into her arms, I was reminded of the way my mum used to hug me when I had a nightmare. Only now the nightmare is reality. Lillian held me as I cried and, eventually, I managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Mr Cline is a reference to Earnest Cline who wrote Ready Player One, the book Connor was reading in the last chapter.
> 
> Cupcake


	6. What now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some more progress. Connor meets Catherine, the reader tries to find out more.

**Connor P.O.V**  
09:14  
Front Desk: Woman called Catherine to see you  
Accept <  
Deny

I stood up after responding to the notification, calling for Hank as well as Gavin and Chris. Hank went to greet her while we got the evidence out and into a private room to meet her in. We had the dropped belongings in a plastic bag with some screenshots of security footage. 

Catherine was sat in a seat when we got there, chatting amicably about wedding plans with Hank. Smiling, Chris sat opposite her with the screenshots to take lead with the questioning. 

“Hello Catherine. Thanks for coming in today, we just have a few questions involving a missing persons case.”

She re-adjusted her clothes and bit her lip, frowning, “What do you need to know from me?”

“We just need to know if you recognise this woman. She may have been part of your bachelorette party.”

Nodding, she looked at the photos and the time stamp. I moved over and showed her the bag with its contents as well. She gasped, tears welling in her eyes, “Fuck! That’s (Y/N). Who the hell abducted my best friend?” Her shoulders started to shake. “She is missing! God, I should have known when she didn’t call me.” 

Chris softened and put a hand on her arm, “I know this must be scary. Your information has helped us and I promise all four of us will work our hardest until she is found.” His words helped Catherine to calm down letting her stress levels drop about 11% lower, “We do have some other questions about her though. Can you tell us what her job was and her stance on androids or the android revolution?”

“Yeah, she is a technician at Cyberlife but I think she was planning on quitting and doing her own stuff. She started to talk about doing new programming and free repairs after the revolution happened, I’m not sure if she’d found a group to work on it with or not. As for androids she loves them. She loved helping with the repairs of the androids or developing new models and couldn’t have been happier when they ‘woke up’. I remember she had come over to my flat when the curfew was announced and we watched the broadcast live,” She gave a soft smile, “She said that it filled her heart with joy.”

She stayed in that room a little longer, recalling everything to know about (Y/N) in between fond memories like when they first met or their graduation. After calming down she called her fiancé to ask him to pick her up and left with a shaky smile. Chris let out a sigh and reviewed his notes. 

“So… now that we have all of their identities we need to find the similarities.”

I spread the case files out on the table and observed them. (Y/N), Stephanie, Daisy and Lillian. What do you have in common?

* * *

**(Y/N) P.O.V**  
09:50  
Lillian is back in her bed. That’s the first thing I noticed. I looked up at the slats on her bunk bed and wondered how long she’d been here. How many people she’s be forced to be with. There is four of us, so far, how did they decide who to take? 

“Lillian,” I whispered, “What where you before you were here?”

After a moment of silence, I figured she was still asleep.

“A TV reporter. I covered a lot of the aftermath of the revolution and the android rights movement.”

Rolling onto my back I tried to connect the dots between us, a technician and a reporter. What is it that links us in their eyes?

“What about the other two?”

She sighed, “Steph was in college doing Pharmacology, Daisy had some sort of office job. Whatever it is you are planning, don’t.”

Arguing back was pointless.The knowing tone in her voice scared me. 

“Okay. I won’t try anything then.”

Relief flooded the murmured ‘good’ that barely reached my ears. I almost felt guilty for lying to her.  
If I can just scavenge some spare parts, I’m sure I could do something. Not that I’d fatally harm any of the androids. Maybe just find a floor plan. Wait for a chance to escape and then go to the police? Or does that have too many risks? The ability to phone the police or escape would be best.

Barely any time has passed compared to the others. The future I can see ahead scares me more than anything else. I need more information. I need Lillian on my side.

The same alarm rang as yesterday and we were led to the dining room, food appearing to be the same as it was. Like routine I guess. It seems each day will pass as the one before and the one after. 

This room isn’t anything special. 4 stark white walls, no windows and a glass door. There are two black tables with benches, one has us sat on it and the other is empty. On the furthest wall, there is a black, wood door with a card scan: out of access. Sighing, I resigned to eating the stew and pausing my investigation.

I just want to hug my mum again.

Barely noticing the rest of the day pass by, I was shocked when the second meal came and then we started getting assigned to ‘customers’. The android doing my makeup and hair was silent, not even making the slightest noise. 

After, I was guided upstairs through another scan guarded door. We came out into what seemed like a kitchen but I was dragged away before I could take it in. Up another flight of stairs with wallpaper and paintings that look lived in. As I was outside the door, I realised. This ‘is a house’ they are using to hide behind. The window in this hall told me it was a house that is still in Detroit. 

“What are you waiting for, go inside.”

My hand trembled as I opened the door and stepped inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! I'm a bit blocked at the moment so I'm going to skip about 3 days in the story, I hope no-one minds this.
> 
> Thanks for reading,   
> Cupcake x

**Author's Note:**

> This is something I've wanted to write for I while, but I'm not sure how good it is. At the moment it is just a prologue but I will continue to write. Any feedback or plot ideas will be greatly appreciated. :)


End file.
